Chapter Twenty-One: Seeking Flight Amidst the Snow

Deep within the heart of Kunlun, a man of bold brows and striking features, exuding a heroic and commanding presence, grabbed me by the leg and flung me into a mountain cave. Inside, a large cauldron simmered with steaming broth.

“My dear! Look what I've hunted for you! A winter crow! Tomorrow, I'll stew it for you to nourish your body!” the man declared gleefully.

Within the cave, a celestial maiden lay on a thick heap of grass and animal pelts, covered in heavy garments, her face contorted in pain. “I won’t drink it! Liar! Scoundrel! Shameless rogue!” she cursed, clutching her abdomen and moaning.

“Don’t be angry, my love! Mind your condition, don't agitate the baby! A bit of nourishment will do you good! Here, have some chicken soup for now—there’s ginseng in it,” the robust man coaxed, carefully ladling out a bowl of soup and placing it on a large rock by the maiden’s side, gently propping her up.

I lay prone on the ground, my heart burning as though I had swallowed live coals. I forced myself to look at their faces—a man of bold brows and heroic stature, a woman with fair skin and delicate beauty. Astonishingly, it was the two of them! The impostor god Yunxiao I had met while lost in the caves of Kunlun, and the maiden Weiyang, who so admired Yunxiao.

Weiyang was already pregnant—were they planning to use me as nourishment for her? Anxiety flared within me, and a sudden heat surged up; I coughed twice, spitting blood.

“Where did you find this sickly bird? Get rid of it!” Weiyang, tormented by pain, failed to recognize me and scolded in disgust.

“I have the plague,” I blurted out, thinking quickly.

“What! Then burn it! Quickly, burn it! Don’t let it infect the baby!” Weiyang cried out.

The robust man panicked, “Don’t worry, my love, I’ll burn it right away!”

Terrified, I hastily amended, “No! You misheard me—I said I caught a chill from the hot springs, not the plague. It’s not contagious!”

“Oh, my dear, it’s nothing serious. We’ll keep it for a few days and then make soup for you!” the man reassured Weiyang with great care.

“I won’t drink it! Get out! Just seeing you makes my stomach hurt! Go away!” Weiyang screamed.

“My love, don’t shout! If you draw the gods from Yuqing Realm, we’ll have to move again!” the man soothed her in a low voice.

Weiyang moaned, clutching her belly, sobbing, “Move, move, move! Always moving! Damn Lu Wu! You deceived me by pretending to be the god Yunxiao! Scoundrel! Get out! Take that filthy bird with you!”

“Lu Wu!” I was stunned. So this bold, heroic man was the fearsome divine beast, Lu Wu!

“Alright, alright, don’t worry, my love.” Lu Wu obeyed her wishes, dragged me out of the cave by the leg, and threw me into the snow.

Thrown into the snow, wet, freezing, starving, wounded inside and out—I knew I would not survive till morning if things continued like this. I needed a plan... The burning in my chest flared again, and I quickly grabbed a handful of snow to cool the fire within.

The “Yuxu Art of War” that Spring Wind had shown me spoke of attacking the weak points... The weak points... Yes! I would exploit Lu Wu’s weakness!

Lu Wu, shivering, rubbed his hands and stamped his feet.

“Start a fire…” I said weakly.

“No, if we light a fire out here, we’ll be discovered,” he replied.

“If I freeze and starve to death, what will you use to nourish your wife, then…”

“What do you suggest?” he asked.

“Give me food. Give me your clothes.”

“The soup is for my wife’s recovery, not for you. There’s only some frozen persimmon cakes and ginseng. You can’t have the ginseng either—that’s for my wife. As for clothes, I have none; they’re all covering my wife,” Lu Wu said, utterly stingy.

“So only frozen persimmon cakes, then…” Even if he offered me ginseng, I wouldn’t touch it. Eating ginseng in this condition was courting death.

Despite the burning in my heart, the frozen persimmon cakes brought me some comfort. Lu Wu, dressed thinly, shivered and kept darting to the cave entrance to peek inside, then huddled in the dry grass to shelter from the wind. It was clear he truly cared for his “wife.”

“It’s useless, even if you stew me… your wife is doomed…” My voice was feeble, but my words were resolute.

“Nonsense!” Lu Wu roared.

“Your wife is pregnant, yet you’re dragging her around in this hardship—of course she’s harmed her condition. Giving birth in this icy wilderness, she and the child will both die, even if you stew ten of me…” My heart was burning, yet I shivered uncontrollably.

“Is that true?” Lu Wu plainly knew little of such matters.

“Of course it’s true. Your wife is delicate—do you think she’s as tough as you? Go to town and ask—when a wife is pregnant, which husband doesn’t provide the best care and living conditions? Who treats his wife as you do!” I said.

“My belly hurts! Water! Cold!” Weiyang’s groans echoed from the cave.

Lu Wu hurried inside.

As I schemed for my survival, the gods from Yuqing Realm searched the snow-covered mountains tirelessly…

“Respected one, Lu Wu is crafty—he changes caves every day, making it difficult to find him!” Baize reported to the god Yunxiao.

“Seal off every cave we’ve searched. Keep looking!” Yunxiao’s face was cold as frost.

“Don’t overlook even the bones!” Spring Wind admonished.

Lu Wu emerged from the cave and collapsed into the snow, sweating. “Tell me, what should I do? My wife’s been in pain the whole time.”

“Let her stay in a medical clinic. The environment and food are suitable, there are attendants to care for her. When sick, one must go to a clinic—random broths and ginseng might make things worse.” Having lived among mortals, I had picked up some basic medical knowledge.

“No, if we go there, I’ll be caught and forced to cultivate, losing my freedom,” Lu Wu replied.

“What have you done to be so afraid?” I feigned ignorance.

“I… I pretended to be the god Yunxiao and seduced my wife…” Lu Wu was deeply ashamed.

“Don’t you want to truly take human form and have your wife admire you as she does Yunxiao?” I asked.

“Of course I do!” Lu Wu replied.

“Then act like a real man! Take responsibility. You keep calling her your wife, but do you treat her as such? Do you let her hold her head high? Your wife’s pain may be due to another illness. If you’re caught, they’ll just make you cultivate—they won’t kill you. But if you go on like this, your wife will die,” I urged.

“I need to think… let me think…” Lu Wu lowered his head in thought.

“Did someone put you up to this?” I suspected he had help in deceiving the maiden, perhaps even the “master” Baize mentioned during the apprenticeship trials.

“A fellow immortal on the mountain told me that pretending to be Yunxiao would win my wife’s heart,” Lu Wu admitted without reservation.

“Do you know who that immortal is? What’s his name?”

“No idea. There were so many seeking masters, how would I know who he was?” Lu Wu replied.

“And you just believed him? You can’t win your wife’s heart through deception—you may win her body, but not her heart. You’re like rats scurrying across the street with your pregnant, ailing wife—of course she looks down on you. If you want her respect, take responsibility,” I pressed with all my remaining strength.

“I’ll think about it…” Lu Wu hesitated.

“Ah! My belly! Damn you, Lu Wu!” Weiyang’s pain grew so intense she burst into sobs.

Lu Wu rushed into the cave. I staggered in after him, making a show of checking Weiyang’s pulse.

Unable to bear the pain, Weiyang fainted, sending Lu Wu into a panic. “What’s wrong with my wife?”

“There’s no time to waste,” I said gravely, staring at Lu Wu.

“To the clinic! Where is it? Take us there.” Lu Wu decided.

“It’s in Xuhua Town. I’ll take you there. I promise your wife’s safety. And you must go with the gods to cultivate and rid yourself of your beastly ways,” I bargained with him.

“Alright!” Lu Wu hoisted Weiyang onto his back, grabbed me, and flew down from Kunlun.

After we left, the eleventh disciple of Yuqing Realm, Dingmao, finally found the cave where Lu Wu had been hiding.

“Master! I found traces of Lu Wu in a cave deep in Kunlun, but he himself is gone…” Dingmao reported to Yunxiao, presenting the bowl of soup Lu Wu had made for Weiyang.

Yunxiao frowned, about to examine it, when Spring Wind snatched the bowl away.

“Dingmao, are you still trying to curry favor with your master at a time like this? He hasn’t even eaten, he’s not in the mood for soup.” Without waiting for a reply, Spring Wind gulped down two mouthfuls.

“Spring Wind…” Yunxiao sighed helplessly, unable to stop him.

Dingmao’s face was awkward as he continued, “In the cave I found a patch of blood, some feathers, and a cauldron of bird broth. I fear Yu Fei has met with misfortune.”

Spring Wind spewed out the soup in a spurt, shoved the bowl at Yunxiao, and yelled at Dingmao, “Why didn’t you say so earlier! Wild beasts eat their prey raw, who stews them for soup!”

Yunxiao held the bowl, staring at the remaining broth in silence, a trace of pity in his gaze.

The two gods followed Dingmao to the depths of Kunlun, entering the cave. There, the cauldron still steamed with rich broth; on the ground lay dried blood and several winter crow feathers.

Spring Wind ladled the broth: a wing, a piece of ginseng…

“They really did make tonic soup…” Spring Wind dropped the ladle, grabbed Yunxiao’s arm, and pleaded, “Yunxiao, don’t be angry. I know Biyou is innocent, in her past and even more so now. I shouldn’t have struck her. I only had one sip… just one…”

Yunxiao’s expression was calm. “If you like it, drink the whole pot.”

“What?” Spring Wind was stunned.

“It’s pheasant soup,” Yunxiao replied helplessly.

“Pheasant?” Spring Wind’s eyes lit up.

“Are winter crow wings that large? You’ve been freeloading off my pheasant soup for millennia,” Yunxiao said in disdain.

Spring Wind hurriedly fished out a chicken head with a comb, patting his chest in relief and exclaiming how close he’d come to being scared to death.

Yunxiao inspected the cave, examining the items left by Lu Wu and Weiyang, then stepped outside to study the tracks in the snow.

“To the clinic!” Yunxiao flew off.

The doors of the clinic swung open, and Bingwu, who had apprenticed alongside me, greeted me in delight. “Yu Fei! The gods of Yuqing Realm sent word by swift crane that you were captured by Lu Wu, and told us to watch for you!”

“I’m fine. Tell them not to worry, and quickly check on her. She may be pregnant and has severe abdominal pain,” I said, ushering Lu Wu inside with Weiyang on his back.

“You must save my wife,” Lu Wu pleaded urgently, clutching Bingwu.

I slowed, leaning against a large pear tree in the courtyard.

“Are you alright?” Bingwu asked.

“Find a physician who can counteract the ‘Dawn’s Spring’ palm…” The fire within me was flaring again after this long journey.

“No one but Yunxiao can cure the ‘Dawn’s Spring’ palm. Don’t worry, Dingmao sent word that you received less than a tenth of its force. If it were serious, you’d be dead by now. Yunxiao will be here soon,” Bingwu reassured me, trying to help me inside.

“See to Weiyang first—her case is more urgent. I’ll be fine,” I said, waving him off.

Since Spring Wind had not struck with full force, I was not in mortal danger. There was no need to make things difficult. Leaning against the tree, my heart burning, I couldn’t help but cough up another mouthful of blood. Quickly covering my mouth and wiping it away, I gritted my teeth, transformed into my winter crow form, and flew away from Kunlun…